text:
A Protestant Vision: William Harrison and the Reformation of Elizabethan England
G. J. R. Parry
Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2002, ISBN: 9780521522188; 358pp.; Price: £22.95
University of Sussex
Date accessed: 28 February, 2024
William Harrison was a prominent Elizabethan intellectual, best known for his 'Description of Britain', included in the second edition of Holinshed's Chronicles (1587). He was also the author of a 'Chronology' of world history outlining the apocalyptic battle between the true, spiritual Protestant Church and the corrupt, worldly Catholic Church. Histories of such figures can be dry and dutiful affairs that only warrant the fleeting attention of the dedicated specialist. However, Dr Parry's rigorous and historically engaged analysis of the writings of his subject and his ability to contextualise Harrison's work within the Protestant culture of late Elizabethan England, distinguishes his monograph from run-of-the-mill studies and Cambridge are to be congratulated for reprinting this work fifteen years after its publication. A Protestant Vision demands to be read, even if one is not specifically interested in Harrison or in the progress of the English Reformation after John Bale. Parry shows how any account of Tudor intellectual culture must take into account the close relationship between religion, politics and historical writing, indicating that emphasising any one at the expense of the others will result in a distorted and partial picture.
A Protestant Vision consists of seven lengthy chapters and is divided into two parts, the first dealing with Harrison's view of history, the second with his vision of England. Chapter one, 'The Two Churches', shows how the enthusiastic young Protestant convert came to feel that if history was studied closely and scrupulously enough he would be able to establish a means of judging the successes and failures of the Elizabethan Church 'as part of the prophetic continuum of history' (p. 9). In this way Harrison was following in the footsteps of John Bale, who read the Revelation as a direct historical allegory of the progress of the evil Catholic Church and the saintly but persecuted True Church, which had only just been able to re-establish itself after centuries of domination of the kingdoms of darkness. The implication was that Satanic elements were still lurking within the church: the problem was to identify exactly what they were.
Harrison was confident of his ability to achieve this monumental task. After all, his religion granted him an 'unchanging godly insight' that 'could resurrect the full experience of the earliest moments of time' (p. 20), ideal qualities for a historian. Historical analysis was also made straightforward by the continuum assumed here whereby 'the past and present had the same meaning' (p. 29), as history moved towards its final goal of Christ's return. On the one hand, Harrison's faith made him optimistic that everything pointed in the same direction and he could afford to ignore messy or stubbornly inconvenient evidence. On the other, his sense of the inadequacies of Elizabeth's church settlement and the compromises that she was prepared to make to preserve her position and protect the legacy of the Reformation, led to a certain amount of frustration and despair.
Chapters two and three provide a careful analysis of Harrison's 'Chronology', a work which attempted to elaborate the nature and design of God's will alongside the foolish and catastrophic errors of human society attempting to implement or thwart their maker. Harrison 'remained within the mainstream of apocalyptic interpretation which had been popularised in England by Bale' (p. 70). Rome had become generally known as the second Babylon by 961 AD, and Satan had been loosed into the world by 1001 AD. When the Lateran decree of 1215 gave the papacy power over secular rulers, Harrison argued that Satan had truly begun to dominate the world until properly resisted by the forces of the Reformation. Mainstream such interpretation may have been but Harrison was independent enough to take issue with the well-known view of John Foxe that the number of the beast, 666, referred to a specific year. Harrison, rather more sensibly, argued that the number signified a 'measuring rod' (p. 72) which would reveal how bad any particular event or action might be. Dr Parry also points out that Harrison made extensive use of Jean Bodin's Methodis ad Facilem Historiarum Cognitionem (first published in 1566) to expound theories of numerology and cosmic significance. That Harrison was able to ignore Bodin's absolutist political theories, conceived in the wake of the bloody French wars of religion and formulated in direct opposition to the Huguenot monarchomach writings which clearly did influence Harrison's thought, further indicates that Harrison was capable of ploughing his own furrow. Dr Parry makes this point but perhaps does not fully emphasise its importance.
The second section shows how Harrison applied his ideas to the state of Elizabethan England in his published work. Chapter four explains how he envisaged his ideal church, beliefs which marked Harrison out as a puritan within the church who felt that reforms had not gone far enough. In general Harrison was less content to accept that much church practice fell under the heading of 'things indifferent' than more moderate Protestants and he was keen to purge the church of grievous errors and other popish 'trash'. He felt that any remaining elements of the Church of Cain should be scrupulously removed and took a hard line on the vestments controversy, arguing that plain garments that did not separate pastor and flock too drastically were best fitted for worship in God's house. Nevertheless, Harrison was enough of a pragmatist to accept that opposition to Rome could not be built in a day and he accepted the use of the surplice in the short term. He was also prepared to tolerate the existence of bishops, although he clearly would have preferred to see the church less hierarchically governed (Dr Parry suggests that Harrison was confused and uncertain about this point, but is it not more likely that he felt the need not to isolate himself from the mainstream by arguing too idealistically and aggressively?). Harrison enthusiastically endorsed rites such as churching, believing that it was the duty of good Christians to multiply and so increase God's kingdom, whatever false emphasis might be placed on the holy nature of virginity as a Satanic trick to fool the devout. Overall, Harrison placed greatest emphasis on the word rather than the institution, a familiar enough Protestant preference.
Probably the most interesting chapters in the book are 5 and 6 which deal with Harrison's blueprint for a reformed prince and a reformed commonwealth. Although Harrison placed great emphasis on the law of nature in his discussions of numerology and prophecy – chapter 7 outlines his interest in Hermetic philosophy – he made a distinct separation between the natural world and the human world of politics and its institutions. Revelation was the key and such direct insight into the mind of God enabled the true believer to disregard ordinary observations and rules. Harrison's sense of value links him to Thomas More, a thinker he resembles, even though many of the Protestant philosophers and polemicists who influenced Harrison tried their hardest to dismiss More as a false martyr obsessed with worldly rather than spiritual gain. Like More, Harrison seems to have feared compromise less than isolation in his attempts to argue for reform, and he also clearly felt that Christian revelation could and should override more mundane perspectives of the world.
However, this Christian rejection of the natural world paradoxically secularises political thought, or, at least, opens the way for a clear separation between politics and religion. The point that Dr Parry carefully makes is that admitting that human values and means of interpretation can determine political behaviour, rather than the natural world, means that political discussions do not have to be determined by religion alone. Rational argument can take place as a means of settling religious disputes about politics. As Quentin Skinner observed, 'the godly necessity of revolution' did not bind Calvinists to 'specifically Calvinist arguments' (p. 209) but enabled them to advance defences of their actions based on arguments derived from natural law theorists. Political behaviour could be separated from 'what the Scriptures revealed as essential for revelation' (p. 211). While John Ponet and Christopher Goodman, English Calvinists writing during the reign of Mary Tudor, had claimed that true believers should resist and overthrow the queen because of her hostility to Protestantism, Harrison had to make the rather less spectacular argument that he might be able to influence Elizabeth through the use of religious argument and turn her back to the true path. This is the central reason, one suspects, why Harrison's political significance has been overlooked.
Harrison was an undoubted radical, as Dr Parry observes: 'he went further than the radical Calvinists on certain decisive issues of historical interpretation, particularly the kind of magistracy sanctioned by the example of the True Church, and the relationship between imperial rule and true religion epitomised in the behaviour of Constantine' [my emphasis] (p. 200). To go further than radical Calvinists was indeed to go a long way and adopt a position that few monarchs would be happy to support especially if, in Dr Parry's words, his political position 'implicitly questioned the possibility of any harmonious relationship between continuous worldly monarchy and those who sought to foster true religion'. Such a position explicitly places sovereignty as the prerogative of the (godly) people, not that of the monarch. It resembles the arguments of the Scottish reformers such as John Knox, George Buchanan and David Hume of Godscroft, who felt it was their right and duty to curb and control their sovereign if he or she strayed from the straight and narrow. The most influential Huguenot treatise, Vindiciae Contra Tyrannos (1579), explicitly linked tyrannicide to Scotland through its (false) colophon, when the anonymous author claimed that the work had been published in Edinburgh (it was actually published in Basle) by Stephanus Junius Brutus, the Celt. A clearer link between the Protestant politics of early modern Scotland and Roman republicanism would be hard to imagine, the key idea being that opposition to the godless ruler resembled efforts to found the republic. And both, of course, necessitated the defeat of Roman tyranny. Buchanan, it might be worth noting, went further than anyone in arguing that the tyrant could be overthrown by a godly private citizen. Most monarchomachs argued that the designated magistrate had such powers and rights but not someone who did not even hold political office. Buchanan also felt that the Scots had made a cardinal error when they made their monarchy hereditary rather than elective. Harrison may have gone even further, because he 'believed that Israel committed a grave sin in demanding a king' (p. 217).
For Harrison, the key event was the elevation of Saul to the monarchy. While other commentators saw this act providing a Biblical justification of kingship – often one without restraints - Harrison concentrated on developing a pointed contrast between Saul the king and Samuel the prophet. Harrison sought to contrast the worldly ruler to 'the minatory prophet who enjoyed an intimate relationship with God' (p. 218), and who rejected tyranny. Israel started to look more like gentile nations when her people elected a king not ordained by God. In doing so Harrison came close to arguing that all government that was not directly inspired by God was evil and should be opposed (mirroring his position on the 'things indifferent' in church controversies), and that Israel's position as god's chosen nation resulted from the actions of her prophets and not her kings. Even Goodman and Ponet did not go so far as to suggest that monarchy itself might be inherently evil. Dr Parry suggests that Harrison's thoughts may well have been turned to the England he inhabited when he complained of Israel's elite 'defending ill-gotten "tenures"' through 'ungodly "policie"'. (p. 223)
Nevertheless, Harrison did not, unsurprisingly, establish a clear plan of action in case his hopes of reform failed to materialise. He did conclude that tyrants and ungodly monarchs richly deserved whatever gruesome fate they brought upon themselves, but he also argued that England could escape its nemesis 'by accepting the preaching which would reconstruct the godly commonwealth' (pp. 252-3). Even so, Harrison seems to have regarded political intervention as an onerous duty and his writings praise those prophets who chose to 'leade a private life farre from the court than to be nere the king and plaie the flattering hypocrite' (p. 263).
A Protestant Vision is not, of course, without some flaws. There are times when Dr Parry relies too heavily on the past conditional beloved by biographers (for example, 'Harrison must have been struck by the great personal relevance of Paul's life' (p. 5)), passing off reasonable speculations as though they were established fact. There are other times when obvious comparisons are neglected in favour of more striking links, a case in point being the attempt to place great emphasis on the relationship between Harrison's discussion of the Two Churches and that of John Hooker (in Chapter one). The analogy is not mistaken, but the passage reads as though the author were desperately trying not to relate Harrison to the much better-known figures, John Bale and John Foxe, whose writings on the tradition of the Two Churches have been analysed in exhaustive detail.
The major quibble I would have with the book is really a compliment to a cautious and diligent historian. There are times when Dr Parry seems to me to be rather too modest in the claims he makes for Harrison's significance and the radical nature of his work. Dr Parry opens his chapter on the political vision of William Harrison by castigating his subject and making an excuse for his apparent incoherence:
Despite his low opinion of princes in general, Harrison had dutifully to suspend his disbelief about Elizabeth's commitment to further reformation. This tension can be partly resolved by an examination of Harrison's views about England's relationship to the ideal godly commonwealth, but an element of incoherence must always be allowed for in his thought, since he belonged to that historical majority of individuals whose less than rigorous thinking allowed them to accept simultaneously a number of logically contradictory propositions. (p. 244)
It would be interesting to know whether Dr Parry would argue this case now. It has become an almost axiomatic assumption that Elizabeth was distrusted and criticised by virtually all of her articulate and intelligent subjects from the 1580s onwards. John Guy's edited collection, The Reign of Elizabeth: Court and Culture in the Last Decade (Cambridge University Press, in association with the Folger Shakespeare Institute; Cambridge, 1995), which outlined the sharp division between her successful early reign and the disastrous later one, has come to be accepted as a current orthodoxy. It may be the case that William Harrison was a more consistent thinker than Dr Parry has given him credit for and that he was one of the many writers who did not really place his faith in any monarch. If so, then further questions need to be asked. How typical or isolated was Harrison? Dr Parry notes that he was rather more excitable in his interpretations of events than many of his fellow historians and that he envisaged momentous happenings resulting from 'the most mundane happenings' (p. 121). It would be useful to know whether he stands out as an oddity in this or belongs to a wider tradition of historical exegesis. Dr Parry suggests that Harrison was 'eccentric' in his arguments and beliefs, and that he was unlike the humanists who sought to advise princes rather than to require them 'to vacate their thrones and reverently listen to the preachers of the Word' (p. 248). It may be the case that our conception of humanism and its possible manifestations has changed considerably since 1987, enabling a wider interpretation of its political spectrum as well as a breaking-down of the rigid separation between humanist and Protestant beliefs and practices.
And what of Harrison's politics examined in a wider context? Should we be adopting a British approach to the question of religious division and not just an English or European one? Was Harrison yet another figure who was more critical of female rule than he made clear? If so, did he want a strong male monarch on the throne to enforce God's will, or was he of a more republican cast, wanting the people to control the prince? Some historians cannot tolerate the 'r' word and cry 'anachronism' if anyone uses it to describe words or events before 1640. But a strong case can be made that George Buchanan, whose writings Harrison would have known (even though he does not feature in Dr Parry's book), was a republican because he used classical and Christian examples to argue that the people should have control over the monarch whose duty was to administer the laws that they had established wisely and properly. Harrison's writings, so carefully and intelligently outlined by Dr Parry, suggest that he made similar connections, using his knowledge of Biblical history to argue that the godly rather than the monarchy should control the tenor of English life. Elsewhere Dr Parry argues that Harrison's 'eagerness to find some evidence of godliness in Elizabeth's actions also reflects his reluctance to face the logical consequences of his general assumptions about the problematical relationship between worldly princes and true religion' (p. 233). It is just as likely that it was fear and caution that enforced this uneasy compromise, as well as a pragmatic desire to play some part in inaugurating the godly kingdom in an imperfect world. That Harrison's manuscript writings contain much harsher criticisms of contemporary society and its religious failures – notably the self-aggrandising behaviour of the nobility – than his published works should surely come as no surprise.
A Protestant Vision is a fine work that makes important contributions to intellectual, religious and political history. Indeed, its singular achievement is to link these often disparate subjects together making it impossible to study the Reformation in isolation from early modern science or any debates on early modern political formations (to give one example, Thomas Smith, in his De Republica Anglorum, used Harrison's ideas alongside discussions of classical political forms). It is now up to other scholars to follow Dr Parry's lead and insights.


text:
Copyright © 2003-2008 Sippy Software, Inc.
Copyright © 2005 voice-system.ro
Revision History | |
Revision $Revision: 5385 $ | $Date: 2008-12-25 07:08:54 +0100 (Thu, 25 Dec 2008) $ |
Table of Contents
fix_nated_sdp(flags [, ip_address])
force_rtp_proxy([flags [, ip_address]])
rtpproxy_offer([flags [, ip_address]])
rtpproxy_answer([flags [, ip_address]])
rtpproxy_stream2uac(prompt_name, count)
rtpproxy_stream2uas(prompt_name, count)
List of Examples
usageThis is a module to help with NAT traversal. In particular, it helps symmetric UAs that don't advertise they are symmetric and are not able to determine their public address. fix_nated_contact rewrites Contact header field with request's source address:port pair. fix_nated_sdp adds the active direction indication to SDP (flag 0x01) and updates source IP address too (flag 0x02).
Known devices that get along over NATs with nathelper are ATAs (as clients) and Cisco Gateways (since 12.2(T)) as servers. See http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/iosswrel/ps1839/products_feature_guide09186a0080110bf9.html">
Currently, the nathelper module supports two types of NAT pings:
UDP package - 4 bytes (zero filled) UDP packages are sent to the contact address.
Advantages: low bandwitdh traffic, easy to generate by Kamailio;
Disadvantages: unidirectional traffic through NAT (inbound - from outside to inside); As many NATs do update the bind timeout only on outbound traffic, the bind may expire and closed.
SIP request - a stateless SIP request is sent to the contact address.
Advantages: bidirectional traffic through NAT, since each PING request from Kamailio (inbound traffic) will force the SIP client to generate a SIP reply (outbound traffic) - the NAT bind will be surely kept open.
Disadvantages: higher bandwitdh traffic, more expensive (as time) to generate by Kamailio;
Currently, the nathelper module can support multiple rtpproxies for balancing/distribution and control/selection purposes.
The module allows the definition of several sets of rtpproxies - load-balancing will be performed over a set and the user has the ability to choose what set should be used. The set is selected via its id - the id being defined along with the set. Refer to the "rtpproxy_sock" module parameter definition for syntax description.
The balancing inside a set is done automatically by the module based on the weight of each rtpproxy from the set.
The selection of the set is done from script prior using [un]force_rtp_proxy(), rtpproxy_offer() or rtpproxy_answer() functions - see the set_rtp_proxy_set() function.
For backward compatibility reasons, a set with no id take by default the id 0. Also if no set is explicitly set before [un]force_rtp_proxy(), rtpproxy_offer() or rtpproxy_answer() the 0 id set will be used.
IMPORTANT: if you use multiple sets, take care and use the same set for both force_ and unforce_rtpproxy()!!
The following modules must be loaded before this module:
usrloc module - only if the NATed contacts are to be pinged.
Period of time in seconds between sending the NAT pings to all currently registered UAs to keep their NAT bindings alive. Value of 0 disables this functionality.
Enabling the NAT pinging functionality will force the module to bind itself to USRLOC module.
Default value is 0.
If this variable is set then only contacts that have "behind_NAT" flag in user location database set will get ping.
Default value is 0.
How many timer processes should be created by the module for the exclusive task of sending the NAT pings.
Default value is 1.
Spoof the natping's source-ip to this address. Works only for IPv4.
Default value is NULL.
Example 1.4. Set natping_socket
... modparam("nathelper", "natping_socket", "192.168.1.1:5006") ...
The name of the Attribute-Value-Pair (AVP) used to store the URI containing the received IP, port, and protocol. The URI is created by fix_nated_register function of nathelper module and the attribute is then used by the registrar to store the received parameters. Do not forget to change the value of corresponding parameter in registrar module if you change the value of this parameter.
You must set this parameter if you use "fix_nated_register". In such case you must set the parameter with same name of "registrar" module to same value.
Default value is "NULL" (disabled).
Definition of socket(s) used to connect to (a set) RTPProxy. It may specify a UNIX socket or an IPv4/IPv6 UDP socket.
Default value is "NONE" (disabled).
Example 1.6. Set rtpproxy_sock
... # single rtproxy modparam("nathelper", "rtpproxy_sock", "udp:localhost:12221") # multiple rtproxies for LB modparam("nathelper", "rtpproxy_sock", "udp:localhost:12221 udp:localhost:12222") # multiple sets of multiple rtproxies modparam("nathelper", "rtpproxy_sock", "1 == udp:localhost:12221 udp:localhost:12222") modparam("nathelper", "rtpproxy_sock", "2 == udp:localhost:12225") ...
Once RTPProxy was found unreachable and marked as disable, nathelper will not attempt to establish communication to RTPProxy for rtpproxy_disable_tout seconds.
Default value is "60".
Example 1.7. Set rtpproxy_disable_tout
... modparam("nathelper", "rtpproxy_disable_tout", 20) ...
Timeout value in waiting for reply from RTPProxy.
Default value is "1".
How many times nathelper should retry to send and receive after timeout was generated.
Default value is "5".
Socket to be forced in communicating to RTPProxy. It makes sense only for UDP communication. If no one specified, the OS will choose.
Default value is "NULL".
Example 1.10. Set force_socket
... modparam("nathelper", "force_socket", "localhost:33333") ...
What branch flag should be used by the module to identify NATed contacts for which it should perform NAT ping via a SIP request instead if dummy UDP package.
Default value is -1 (disabled).
The parameter sets the SIP URI to be used in generating the SIP requests for NAT ping purposes. To enable the SIP request pinging feature, you have to set this parameter. The SIP request pinging will be used only for requests marked so.
Default value is "NULL".
Example 1.12. Set sipping_from
... modparam("nathelper", "sipping_from", "sip:email@example.com") ...
The parameter sets the SIP method to be used in generating the SIP requests for NAT ping purposes.
Default value is "OPTIONS".
The parameter sets the SDP attribute used by nathelper to mark the packet SDP informations have already been mangled.
If empty string, no marker will be added or checked.
The string must be a complete SDP line, including the EOH (\r\n).
Default value is "a=nortpproxy:yes\r\n".
Example 1.14. Set nortpproxy_str
... modparam("nathelper", "nortpproxy_str", "a=sdpmangled:yes\r\n") ...
Rewrites Contact HF to contain request's source address:port.
This function can be used from REQUEST_ROUTE, ONREPLY_ROUTE, BRANCH_ROUTE.
Example 1.15. fix_nated_contact
... if (search("User-Agent: Cisco ATA.*") {fix_nated_contact();}; ...
Alters the SDP information in orer to facilitate NAT traversal. What changes to be performed may be controled via the "flags" parameter.
Meaning of the parameters is as follows:
flags - the value may be a bitwise OR of the following flags:
0x01 - adds "a=direction:active" SDP line;
0x02 - rewrite media IP address (c=) with source address of the message or the provided IP address (the provide IP address take precedence over the source address).
0x04 - adds "a=nortpproxy:yes" SDP line;
0x08 - rewrite IP from origin description (o=) with source address of the message or the provided IP address (the provide IP address take precedence over the source address).
ip_address - IP to be used for rewritting SDP. If not specified, the received signalling IP will be used. The parameter allows pseudo-variables usage. NOTE: For the IP to be used, you need to use 0x02 or 0x08 flags, otherwise it will have no effect.
This function can be used from REQUEST_ROUTE, ONREPLY_ROUTE, FAILURE_ROUTE, BRANCH_ROUTE.
Example 1.16. fix_nated_sdp
... if (search("User-Agent: Cisco ATA.*") {fix_nated_sdp("3");}; ...
Sets the Id of the rtpproxy set to be used for the next [un]force_rtp_proxy(), rtpproxy_offer() or rtpproxy_answer() command.
This function can be used from REQUEST_ROUTE, ONREPLY_ROUTE, BRANCH_ROUTE.
Rewrites SDP body to ensure that media is passed through an RTP proxy. It can have optional parameters to force additional features. If ip_address is provided, it will be used to replace the one in SDP.
The function is considered depreciated and provided for the compatibility purposes. Use rtpproxy_offer() or rtpproxy_answer() instead.
Meaning of the parameters is as follows:
flags - flags to turn on some features.
a - flags that UA from which message is received doesn't support symmetric RTP.
l - force "lookup", that is, only rewrite SDP when corresponding session is already exists in the RTP proxy. By default is on when the session is to be completed (reply in non-swap or ACK in swap mode).
i - flags that message is received from UA in the LAN (internal network). Only makes sense when RTP proxy is running in the bridge mode.
e - flags that message is received from UA in the WAN (external network). Only makes sense when RTP proxy is running in the bridge mode.
f - instructs nathelper to ignore marks inserted by another nathelper in transit to indicate that the session is already goes through another proxy. Allows creating chain of proxies.
r - flags that IP address in SDP should be trusted. Without this flag, nathelper ignores address in the SDP and uses source address of the SIP message as media address which is passed to the RTP proxy.
o - flags that IP from the origin description (o=) should be also changed.
c - flags to change the session-level SDP connection (c=) IP if media-description also includes connection information.
s - flags to swap creation with confirmation between requests and replies. By default, a request creates the RTP session and a reply confirms it. If swapped, a reply will create the RTP session and a request will confirm it. The flag is considered depreciated and provided for the compatibility purposes. Use rtpproxy_offer() or rtpproxy_answer() instead.
w - flags that for the UA from which message is received, support symmetric RTP must be forced.
zNN - requests the RTPproxy to perform re-packetization of RTP traffic coming from the UA which has sent the current message to increase or decrease payload size per each RTP packet forwarded if possible. The NN is the target payload size in ms, for the most codecs its value should be in 10ms increments, however for some codecs the increment could differ (e.g. 30ms for GSM or 20ms for G.723). The RTPproxy would select the closest value supported by the codec. This feature could be used for significantly reducing bandwith overhead for low bitrate codecs, for example with G.729 going from 10ms to 100ms saves two thirds of the network bandwith.
ip_address - new SDP IP address.
This function can be used from REQUEST_ROUTE, ONREPLY_ROUTE, FAILURE_ROUTE, BRANCH_ROUTE.
Example 1.18. force_rtp_proxy
... if (search("User-Agent: Cisco ATA.*") {force_rtp_proxy();}; if (src_ip=184.108.40.206) {force_rtp_proxy("i");}; if (search("User-Agent: Cisco ATA.*") {force_rtp_proxy("","126.96.36.199");}; ...
Rewrites SDP body to ensure that media is passed through an RTP proxy. Equivalent of force_rtp_proxy() function to be invoked on INVITE for the cases the SDPs are in INVITE and 200 OK and on 200 OK when SDPs are in 200 OK and ACK.
See force_rtp_proxy() function description above for the meaning of the parameters.
This function can be used from REQUEST_ROUTE, ONREPLY_ROUTE, FAILURE_ROUTE, BRANCH_ROUTE.
Example 1.19. rtpproxy_offer
route { ... if (is_method("INVITE")) { if (has_sdp()) { if (rtpproxy_offer()) t_on_reply("1"); } else { t_on_reply("2"); } } if (is_method("ACK") && has_sdp()) rtpproxy_answer(); ... } onreply_route[1] { ... if (has_sdp()) rtpproxy_answer(); ... } onreply_route[2] { ... if (has_sdp()) rtpproxy_offer(); ... }
Rewrites SDP body to ensure that media is passed through an RTP proxy. Equivalent of force_rtp_proxy() function to be invoked on 200 OK for the cases the SDPs are in INVITE and 200 OK and on ACK when SDPs are in 200 OK and ACK.
See force_rtp_proxy() function description above for the meaning of the parameters.
This function can be used from REQUEST_ROUTE, ONREPLY_ROUTE, FAILURE_ROUTE, BRANCH_ROUTE.
Tears down the RTPProxy session for the current call.
This function can be used from REQUEST_ROUTE, ONREPLY_ROUTE, FAILURE_ROUTE, BRANCH_ROUTE.
Instruct the RTPproxy to stream prompt/announcement pre-encoded with
the makeann command from the RTPproxy distribution. The uac/uas
suffix selects who will hear the announcement relatively to the current
transaction - UAC or UAS. For example invoking the
in the request processing
block on ACK transaction will play the prompt to the UA that has
generated original INVITE and ACK while
on 183 in reply
processing block will play the prompt to the UA that has generated 183.
Apart from generating announcements, another possible application
of this function is implementing music on hold (MOH) functionality.
When count is -1, the streaming will be in loop indefinitely until
the appropriate rtpproxy_stop_stream2xxx
is issued.
In order to work correctly, functions require that the session in the
RTPproxy already exists. Also those functions don't alted SDP, so that
they are not substitute for calling rtpproxy_offer
This function can be used from REQUEST_ROUTE, ONREPLY_ROUTE.
Meaning of the parameters is as follows:
prompt_name - name of the prompt to stream. Should be either absolute pathname or pathname relative to the directory where RTPproxy runs.
count - number of times the prompt
should be repeated. The value of -1 means that it will
be streaming in loop indefinitely, until appropriate
is issued.
Example 1.22. rtpproxy_stream2xxx
... if (is_method("INVITE")) { rtpproxy_offer(); if (detect_hold()) { rtpproxy_stream2uas("/var/rtpproxy/prompts/music_on_hold", "-1"); } else { rtpproxy_stop_stream2uas(); }; }; ...
Stop streaming of announcement/prompt/MOH started previously by the
respective rtpproxy_stream2xxx
. The uac/uas
suffix selects whose announcement relatively to tha current
transaction should be stopped - UAC or UAS.
These functions can be used from REQUEST_ROUTE, ONREPLY_ROUTE.
Add received parameter to Contact header fields or Contact URI. The parameter will contain URI created from the source IP, port, and protocol of the packet containing the SIP message. The parameter can be then processed by another registrar, this is useful, for example, when replicating register messages using t_replicate function to another registrar.
Meaning of the parameters is as follows:
flag - flags to indicate if the parameter should be added to Contact URI or Contact header. If the flag is non-zero, the parameter will be added to the Contact URI. If not used or equal to zero, the parameter will go to the Contact header.
This function can be used from REQUEST_ROUTE.
Example 1.23. add_rcv_paramer
... add_rcv_param(); # add the parameter to the Contact header .... add_rcv_param("1"); # add the parameter to the Contact URI ...
The function creates a URI consisting of the source IP, port, and protocol and stores the URI in an Attribute-Value-Pair. The URI will be appended as "received" parameter to Contact in 200 OK and registrar will store it in the received cloumn in the location table.
Note: You have to set the received_avp parameter of the nathelper module and the registrar module (both module parameters must have the same value) to use this function.
This function can be used from REQUEST_ROUTE.
Tries to guess if client's request originated behind a nat. The parameter determines what heuristics is used.
Meaning of the flags is as follows:
1 - Contact header field is searched for occurrence of RFC1918 addresses.
2 - the "received" test is used: address in Via is compared against source IP address of signaling
4 - Top Most VIA is searched for occurrence of RFC1918 addresses
8 - SDP is searched for occurrence of RFC1918 addresses
16 - test if the source port is different from the port in Via
All flags can be bitwise combined, the test returns true if any of the tests identified a NAT.
This function can be used from REQUEST_ROUTE, ONREPLY_ROUTE, FAILURE_ROUTE, BRANCH_ROUTE.
Enables natping if parameter value greater than 0. Disables natping if parameter value is 0.
The function takes only one parameter - a number in decimal format.
Enables a rtp proxy if parameter value is greater than 0. Disables it if a zero value is given.
The first parameter is the rtp proxy url (exactly as defined in the config file).
The second parameter value must be a number in decimal.
NOTE: if a rtpproxy is defined multiple times (in the same or diferente sete), all its instances will be enables/disabled.
2.1. | What happend with "rtpproxy_disable" parameter? |
It was removed as it became obsolete - now "rtpproxy_sock" can take empty value to disable the rtpproxy functionality. | |
2.2. | Where can I find more about Kamailio? |
Take a look at http://www.kamailio.org/. | |
2.3. | Where can I post a question about this module? |
First at all check if your question was already answered on one of our mailing lists:
E-mails regarding any stable Kamailio release should be sent to
If you want to keep the mail private, send it to
| |
2.4. | How can I report a bug? |
Please follow the guidelines provided at: http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=139143. |

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Genuine OEM Infiniti Parts & Accessories Store
Infiniti OEM Parts Online
At Infiniti OEM Parts Online we have made it even easier to shop for auto parts online. From popular part categories and the ability to search the entire Infiniti OEM parts catalog by part name, part number, or your VIN, we are sure you will be able to find what you need. Our inventory is synced up with certified Infiniti Dealership Parts Departments across the nation, so no matter what part you are looking for, there is a higher chance it will be in stock and ready to ship. To get started you can use the search features above, or Select Your Infiniti Model. When you select your specific model you will only be shown the parts that fit your vehicle and you will always know you are getting the right part.
Thank you for shopping with Infiniti OEM Parts Online and feel free to Contact Us with any and all questions you may have.


text:
Ah, that magical bean that brings us back to reality on Monday mornings...
"I feel as if the whole of Vancouver Island is one over sized, moss-covered sponge what with the constant rain blowing in from the Pacific. Here is my vote for exotic getaways: The Selva Negra coffee plantation in northern Nicaragua.""We couldn't believe the vegetation. Just imagine... entire ecosystems atop the roof!"
"Agoutis grazing in the front garden... That wonderful aroma of roasting coffee beans. Rapidfire Spanish spoken all around us! Ahhh..."
I take virtual tours to Holland. Maggie dreams of returning to Selva Negra.
Like most great things, this coffee plantation has a rich, 100+ year history but I'd never heard of it until my virtual friend sent me photos. She's such a great writer, I decided to lift her words from the email and stick 'em in the blog!
Brew a fabulous pot of coffee and watch this video of Selva Negra.
* Doesn't Nanaimo sounds exotic? It's actually a water-logged little tourist town in British Columbia. Perhaps Maggie and I can house swap! She can suffer through my unrelenting dry summer heat and I shall curl up with a good book and enjoy her heavy rains!


text:
Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
A threaded x slip (female) adapter based on the size of your service.
Show All Answers
Reclaimed water is the final product of a multiple-stage advanced wastewater treatment process that eliminates pathogens (solids, organics and viruses) and still retains nitrogen and phosphorus elements that work as fertilizers to enhance ornamental plant and turf grass growth. This water is ideal for lawn sprinkling, but not suitable for human consumption (non-potable).
(321) 433-8808
The monthly sewer bill is for the treatment of sewage. Providing reclaimed water for irrigation involves additional costs beyond those for the treatment of sewage.
Water that is chemically and biologically safe for drinking.
Water that is not suitable for drinking.
An approved cross connection device is required on the potable water line serving any property receiving reclaimed water. A Water Reclamation Coordinator will make sure one is installed before turning on reclaimed water service. Reclaimed water piping must be completely isolated, disconnected, and separate from all potable water lines.
A reversal of the normal direction of flow. There are two different types of backflow:
There are two types of protection:
A device that prevents backflow from the customers system into the drinking water distribution system. Backflow preventers are installed on the customers side of the potable water meter by the City of Cocoa; the cost is included in the connection charge.
A link between a potable and non-potable system that would allow a non-potable water source to enter the potable water supply.
Reclaimed water shall be used for irrigation purposes only.
For an existing sprinkler system, we recommend that you take the largest zone and calculate the number of heads in that zone multiplied by the gallons per minute each head requires to determine the total gallon per minute requirement for that zone. A ¾" service line provides 20 gpm, a 1" service line provides 50 gpm and a 2" service line provides 160 gpm.
A fitting that allows you to connect a garden hose to a water system.
Sprinkler heads are rated at a specific GPM flow rate at a specific pressure. We recommend that you use 40 psi when designing your system. Example: if your sprinkler heads use 2.5 gpm @ 40 psi, then a ¾" service (20 gpm) could operate approximately 8 heads at one time. Based on this example calculation, you would not have more than 8 heads on at one time. If your irrigation system has more than one zone, your largest zone would not have more than 8 heads on at one time.
Yes, as long as the hose bibb (spigot) is in a box and the box is locked or the handle is removed.
You can water all ornamental plants, trees, turfs and grasses.
Reclaimed water is not restricted at this time, there is no limit on its use; however; over watering can result in high utility bills and can cause problems with your lawn.
No. Reclaimed water is not the same as potable water and is not suitable for human contact, such as bathing, swimming pools or laundry.
No. Reclaimed water is not the same as potable water and is not suitable for human consumption.
Click the "Reclaimed Water Rates" link below to view the current rates.
Allow up to three (3) +/- weeks for installation of all hardware (service line and reclaim meter). Once the backflow preventer has been installed. Backflow preventer installation is highly dependent on the customers availability.
You can connect to the reclaimed service line when city crews have installed both the service meter and backflow preventer. If you have an existing irrigation system you must disconnect it from the current water source before connecting to the reclaimed water service. Please contact the Environmental Control Coordinator's before disconnecting from your current water supply to avoid any delay in service. If you have a new system, please contact the Environmental Control Coordinator at 321-433-8749, 321-433- 8714 or 321-433-8760 and make sure your reclaimed water service is inspected and online before installing landscape plants or sod.
The approximate pressure will be 40psi – 60psi. If you are installing a new irrigation system, use 40psi as the operating pressure in all design calculations.
PSI stands for pounds per square inch (pressure of force per unit area measurement in PSI).
GPM stands for gallons per minute (flow rating).
After installation of the backflow preventer, the city will allow a 24-hour adjustment/line flushing period prior to the appointment for inspection. Please refer to your "Reclaimed Water Customer Orientation" form under "Customer Responsibilities" in your orientation packet to find items that will be checked during the inspection. For more information, call the Water Reclamation Facility Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Our chloride level averages around 140 parts per million. The salt content is low enough that reclaimed water will not harm sensitive plants. Reclaimed water has a low iron content that will not stain walkways and buildings.
There can be no interconnection between the reclaimed water system and any other system. The well may remain but you must physically disconnect it from the reclaimed water piping. Do not use reclaimed water within 100 feet of all potable water wells. Using reclaimed water vs. a well will eliminate the expense of a well, drilling, pump installation / operation and maintenance cost.
You must peel or cook food crops that come in contact with reclaimed water. Water "salad" crops in a way that avoids getting water on the plant / leaves (root zone irrigation).
No. Reclaimed water has a very low iron content.
Using reclaimed water for toilet flushing is allowed in commercial or industrial facilities. Reclaimed water cannot be used for toilet flushing in any residential property or dwelling unit where the residents have access to the plumbing system for repairs or modifications.
Yes. Reclaimed water is treated so it is safe for incidental human contact such as lawn irrigation.


text:
I did not realize how much my mind races, getting caught up in inner dramas, until I started to sit zazen. Tonight, after sitting, the thought came into my head, is what I am thinking about really worth it? Is it worth the stress it causes on my body, is it worth the muscles tightening up in my face and neck? Or, could I choose to be a different thought in my head instead--much like our nurturing seeds practice.
I eat very healthy, always very conscious about what I put in my body, and have had bad effects when I've made the wrong choices (drinking alcohol comes to mind!!). But why am I not more conscious about what I allow to be in my head? I now realize I need to be more selective, more mindful, of the thoughts I allow, and disregard the ones that are causing negative effects, just like the alcohol.
We are what we eat, but we really are also what we think. So tonight, and in the days to come, as inner dramas and unnecessary thoughts start to unfold, I will ask myself, is this really worth it?


text:
Gene Wilder is dead at 83, his family says
This story has been corrected to show that Gene Wilder was born in 1933, not 1935.
Gene Wilder, the frizzy-haired actor who brought his deft comedic touch to such unforgettable roles as the neurotic accountant in "The Producers" and the mad scientist of "Young Frankenstein," has died. He was 83.
Wilder's nephew said Monday that the actor and writer died late Sunday at his home in Stamford, Connecticut, from complications from Alzheimer's disease.
Jordan Walker-Pearlman said in a statement that Wilder was diagnosed with the disease three years ago, but kept the condition private so as not to disappoint fans.
"He simply couldn't bear the idea of one less smile in the world," Walker-Pearlman said.
Wilder started his acting career on the stage, but millions knew him from his work in the movies, especially his collaborations with Mel Brooks on "The Producers," ''Blazing Saddles" and "Young Frankenstein." The last film — with Wilder playing a California-born descendant of the mad scientist, insisting that his name is pronounced "Frahn-ken-SHTEEN" — was co-written by Brooks and Wilder.
"Gene Wilder, one of the truly great talents of our time, is gone," Brooks wrote in a statement Monday. "He blessed every film we did together with his special magic and he blessed my life with his friendship. He will be so missed."
With his unkempt hair and big, buggy eyes, Wilder was a master at playing panicked characters caught up in schemes that only a madman such as Brooks could devise, whether reviving a monster in "Young Frankenstein" or bilking Broadway in "The Producers." Brooks would call him "God's perfect prey, the victim in all of us."
But he also knew how to keep it cool as the boozing gunslinger in "Blazing Saddles" or the charming candy man in the children's favorite "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." His craziest role: the therapist having an affair with a sheep in Woody Allen's "Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex."
"The greatest comedic mind of my childhood is now gone," actor Josh Gad wrote on Twitter. "#RIP #GeneWilder & thank you 4 your pure imagination. This one hits hard."
Tweeted Jim Carrey: "Gene Wilder was one of the funniest and sweetest energies ever to take a human form. If there's a heaven he has a Golden Ticket."
Wilder was close friends with Richard Pryor and their contrasting personas — Wilder uptight, Pryor loose — were ideal for comedy. They co-starred in four films: "Silver Streak," ''Stir Crazy," ''See No Evil, Hear No Evil" and "Another You." And they created several memorable scenes, particularly when Pryor provided Wilder with directions on how to "act black" as they tried to avoid police in "Silver Streak."
But Wilder would insist in a 2013 interview that he was no comedian. He told interviewer Robert Osborne it was the biggest misconception about him.
"What a comic, what a funny guy, all that stuff! And I'm not. I'm really not. Except in a comedy in films," Wilder said. "But I make my wife laugh once or twice in the house, but nothing special. But when people see me in a movie and it's funny then they stop and say things to me about 'how funny you were.' But I don't think I'm that funny. I think I can be in the movies."
In 1968, Wilder received an Oscar nomination for his work in Brooks' "The Producers." He played the introverted Leo Bloom, an accountant who discovers the liberating joys of greed and corruption as he and Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel) conceive a Broadway flop titled "Springtime For Hitler" and plan to flee with the money raised for the show's production. Matthew Broderick played Wilder's role in the 2001 Broadway stage revival of the show.
Though they collaborated on film, Wilder and Brooks met through the theater. Wilder was in a play with Brooks' then-future wife, Anne Bancroft, who introduced the pair backstage in 1963.
Wilder, a Milwaukee native, was born Jerome Silberman on June 11, 1933. His father was a Russian emigre, his mother was of Polish descent. When he was 6, Wilder's mother suffered a heart attack that left her a semi-invalid. He soon began improvising comedy skits to entertain her, the first indication of his future career.
He started taking acting classes at age 12 and continued performing and taking lesson through college. In 1961, Wilder became a member of Lee Strasberg's prestigious Actor's Studio in Manhattan.
That same year, he made both his off-Broadway and Broadway debuts. He won the Clarence Derwent Award, given to promising newcomers, for the Broadway work in Graham Greene's comedy "The Complaisant Lover."
He used his new name, Gene Wilder, for the off-Broadway and Broadway roles. He lifted the first name from the character Eugene Gant in Thomas Wolfe's "Look Back, Homeward Angel," while the last name was clipped from playwright Thornton Wilder. A key break came when he co-starred with Bancroft in Bertolt Brecht's "Mother Courage," and met Brooks, her future husband.
"I was having trouble with one little section of the play, and he gave me tips on how to act. He said, 'That's a song and dance. He's proselytizing about communism. Just skip over it, sing and dance over it, and get on to the good stuff.' And he was right," Wilder later explained.
Before starring in "The Producers," he had a small role as the hostage of gangsters in the 1967 classic "Bonnie and Clyde." He peaked in the mid-1970s with the twin Brooks hits "Blazing Saddles" and "Young Frankenstein."
He went on to write several screenplays and direct several films. In 1982, while making the generally forgettable "Hanky-Panky," he fell in love with co-star Gilda Radner. They were married in 1984, and co-starred in two Wilder-penned films: "The Lady in Red" and "Haunted Honeymoon."
After Radner died of ovarian cancer in 1989, Wilder spent much of his time after promoting cancer research and opened a support facility for cancer patients. In 1991, he testified before Congress about the need for increased testing for cancer.
That same year, he appeared in his final film role: "Another You" with Pryor.
Wilder worked mostly in television in recent years, including appearances on "Will & Grace" — including one that earned him an Emmy Award for outstanding guest actor — and a starring role in the short-lived sitcom "Something Wilder." In 2015, he was among the voices in the animated "The Yo Gabba Gabba! Movie 2."
As for why he stopped appearing on the big screen, Wilder said in 2013 he was turned off by the noise and foul language in modern movies.
"I didn't want to do the kind of junk I was seeing," he said in an interview. "I didn't want to do 3D for instance. I didn't want to do ones where there's just bombing and loud and swearing, so much swearing… can't they just stop and talk instead of swearing?"
Wilder is survived by his wife, Karen, whom he married in 1991, and his daughter from a previous marriage, Katherine, from whom he was estranged.


text:
Welcome to the Belgian Perl Workshop 2011 website
Vlaanderen.pm is proud to announce the next Belgian Perl Workshop on 15/10/2011. We hope to welcome lots of you there ! For any information, you can contact us at belgianperlworkshop2011 at gmail.com.
The Belgian Perl Workshop is the opportunity for people to meet and talk about tech stuff seasoned with Perl. People who have done interesting things, people who are working on the language itself, people who are using it daily, and people who are looking to learn about it, will all be there. Some of the greatest authors and developers in the field speaking about their work and projects, levelling themselves to all levels, from newbies to gurus.
The theme for this year's workshop is "the Renaissance of Perl".
- The Renaissance of Perl.
- Perl on the work floor empowering companies to make ICT-based business happen, grow, flourish. (Perl 5 & 6)
- Perl Discovery.
- Perl Tech Topics: Introduction (Beginner's-, Intermediate Level) (Perl 5 & 6)
- Perl Tech Topics: Advanced. (Advanced, Expert Level) (Perl 5 & 6)
- Perl Yet Another Talk
- Perl Lightning Talks
- Bird Of Feather Sessions
Join us for this day of talking and learning about Perl followed by an immersion in the european city.
- Please register at least one week beforehand so we can arrange everything.
- Registration fee: 0 €.
Thanks to our sponsors a registration fee is not required for the BPW 2011.


text: Endress+Hauser brought its process instrumentation expertise to the U.S. in 1970, and currently manufactures flow, level, pressure, and temperature measurement products in Greenwood, Indiana, and analytical products in Anaheim, California. More than 90% of all Endress+Hauser instruments ordered and shipped within the U.S. are manufactured in the U.S. This strong manufacturing base is complimented by a complete network of Sales and Service locations to support your products wherever they are installed. To support your project needs, engineering and project management services are also available. Between the years of 2012-2014, Endress+Hauser will invest over $40 million in U.S. operations, further expanding the Greenwood campus. What does this added manufacturing mean for you? When you are experiencing downtime in production because you need a new product, we will be there to get you back up and running – quickly. When a device fails, we understand that every minute your production is down is costing you money and that standard delivery times may not be sufficient. That is why we offer you a select group of standard products that will ship within 48 hours of order time – at times shipping to you the same day. We also provide you with around the clock service support through our telephone help line. Endress+Hauser is also one of the pioneers in fieldbus technology and plays a leading part in the implementation of HART®, PROFIBUS, FOUNDATION™ Fieldbus, and Ethernet/IP technology worldwide. Apart from field instruments, we offer network components, registration technology, automation, and visualization platforms in hardware and software, as well as systems for the asset management of components and plants. Let us be your complete process automation solution. |


text:
Today in History: April 30
Father of Our Country
George Washington [detail],
Gilbert Stuart, artist.
Prints & Photographs Online Catalog
On April 30, 1789, George Washington delivered his first inaugural address to a joint session of Congress, assembled in Federal Hall in the nation's new capital, New York City. The newly-elected president delivered the speech in a deep, low voice that betrayed what one observer called "manifest embarrassment." Washington had not sought the office of president and was humbled by the request to serve.
Aside from recommending constitutional amendments to satisfy citizens demanding a Bill of Rights, Washington confined his address to generalities. He closed by asking for a "divine blessing" on the American people and their elected representatives. In delivering his address, Washington went beyond the constitutional requirement to take an oath of office and thus established a precedent that has been followed since by every elected president.
Two weeks before his inauguration, Washington had made an emotional speech to the citizens of his hometown, Alexandria, Virginia. He expressed regret at leaving his Mount Vernon estate where he had retired, and stated: "no earthly consideration, short of a conviction of duty, could have prevailed upon me to depart from my resolution,'never more to take any share in transactions of a public nature.'" The reluctant leader served two terms in office.
To learn more about George Washington, explore the following American Memory resources:
- George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress, 1741-1799 is an online collection of more than 65,000 documents (including correspondence, letterbooks, commonplace books, diaries, journals, financial account books, military records, reports, and notes). Search the collection by keyword or browse the letterbooks and financial papers by date. The Timeline and Essays provide context for the papers and serve as a means of viewing many of the most significant documents.
- Search A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875 on the term George Washington to retrieve documents highlighting Washington's interaction with both the Continental Congress and the United States Congress.
- Search the Today in History Archive on George Washington to read a variety of features about the life of the first president, including his birthday and his experience at Valley Forge.
- Browse the Inauguration section of the collection "I Do Solemnly Swear...": Presidential Inaugurations to learn more about events surrounding each inauguration since April 30, 1789.
- Search on George Washington in The James Madison Papers, 1723-1836 for correspondence between the two presidents. Similarly, The Thomas Jefferson Papers at the Library of Congress yields correspondence between the two presidents, Jefferson's notes on conversations with Washington, and much more.
- For more on presidential inaugurations, see the Today in History features for January 20 and March 4, as well as Inaugurations in American Memory, a feature presentation of the Teachers Page.


text:
So Taylor Swift wrote this song about John Mayer a couple of years ago, and now John Mayer is like, "Not cool, Taylor Swift," and it's in Rolling Stone. Frankly, it is kind of "cheap songwriting," as he says, to write about your famous exes by name. But then, so is writing a song about Kanye West just to tell him you forgive him for interrupting you. [Rolling Stone]
For people who are as fond of Richard Dawson as I am, it's great news that GSN will be running a tribute to him beginning at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, including episodes of Match Game (yay!) and Family Feud. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]
Did you want to read about Nick Offerman's love of woodworking? Of course you did; why wouldn't you? [Huffington Post via Splitsider]
It seems sort of inevitable that Paul McCartney would close the opening ceremony at the upcoming London Olympics, but if you were wondering: yes, this is happening. [The Guardian]
Next time you speak dismissively of Broadway, please note: The Broadway League reports that it "helped generate" (admittedly a fuzzy term) $11.2 billion in tourist spending. [The New York Times]
Apparently, Steven Spielberg has had some second thoughts about the "revisions" he made to E.T. for its 20th anniversary release. Because they're being undone for the 30th anniversary release. You know, you're allowed to just leave your movie alone when everyone already has told you how great it is. [The Telegraph]
Let's all agree that we will keep not buying pictures of celebrity babies — as we apparently didn't buy pictures of Jessica Simpson's baby — so that this extremely weird and creepy form of revenue will wither and die. [The Hollywood Reporter]
If you're interested in the publicity packages that networks and studios create to promote shows for Emmy consideration (and that everyone else has to figure out how to efficiently throw away), The Hollywood Reporter has gathered some of this year's entries into a gallery. [The Hollywood Reporter]
E! Online is all over the story of why Miss Pennsylvania USA resigned her position and accused the Miss Universe pageant of being fixed. So you can stop calling your Congressperson. [E! Online]
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text: Members of the Stephen Decatur High School National Honor Society got into the holiday spirit, adopting a family from Worcester GOLD (Giving Other Lives Dignity). Students shown with advisor Mary Berquist are, front, Elizabeth Anderson, Bryton Adkins, Bethany Hooper, Brandee Hartz and Michelle Ott; and, back, Hannah Getchell, Mari-Claire Bowie, Kelly Sullivan, Jamie Parker and Carly Bodolus. Submitted Photos


text:
This article is more than 1 year old
Microsoft gets green light to punish OS-less PC vendors
Seattlement Review
The Microsoft antitrust settlement - dubbed a "Seattlement" by one reader because of the generous terms - is to be reviewed by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, this week. But lawyers at the Department of Justice and the settled States have already been indicated that they're not altogether happy with Microsoft's compliance to the arrangement they signed 14 months ago.
Does this signal a new bout of activism at Ashcroft's DoJ? Have the lawyers drunk a dose of Spitzers?
That's hardly likely, as we'll see. But in one little-noticed finding in the most recent compliance status report issued last week, Microsoft has been allowed to withhold rewards to OEMs who ship a PC without an operating system installed. Microsoft argues that this is a necessary sanction to discourage piracy. But equally, it's a disincentive for corporate purchasers who want to ghost an image of Linux onto a pre-specced PC.
Microsoft specifies this condition in what's called an MDP, or Market Development Program, although for most of its history it's been known as an MDA, for Market Development Agreement.
MDPs and MDAs
In testimony during the DoJ's antitrust case, IBM alleged that Microsoft used the MDA as a kind of pre-nuptial agreement that dictated the terms of the pricing structure, before formal negotiations over Windows licensing could begun. For example, in October 1994 Microsoft offered IBM an MDA that listed up to $27 per license in potential discounts, if IBM met certain conditions. The more points in the MDA that IBM agreed to, the lower the price became. IBM was then promoting its OS/2 operating system as an alternative to Chicago, which was released as Windows 95 ten months later.
IBM decided it could only qualify for $8 worth of these. The MDA set the price for Windows 95 at $75 - a hefty increase over the $9 IBM was paying for Windows 3.11, claimed IBM. For making Windows 95 the default OS, IBM alleged, Big Blue would earn a royalty reduction of $3. (Microsoft argued that none of the MDA terms prevented OS/2 being preloaded, and that IBM was itself trying to negotiate better terms for NT 4.0 royalties.)
In a deposition during the remedy phase, former Apple executive Peter Ashkin provided more detail of MDPs from his time as Gateway's CTO from 1998 to 2001. Gateway's MDP offered discounts of up to $16 per license.
"OEMs cannot ignore such a large sum of money, especially if their competitors are earning these discounts. Achieving the MDP milestone discounts could mean the difference between making a profit and losing money on a particular unit," Ashkin testified. " MDPs have little to do with marketing and much more to do with controlling the configuration of OEM-manufactured PCs." [Testimony here [PDF, 230kb].
While an early draft of the proposed settlement being circulated in 2000 specifically named MDAs, the final settlement didn't, preferring to forbid retaliation against rivals.
"Microsoft shall not retaliate against any ISV or IHV because of that ISV's or IHV's: a) developing, using, distributing, promoting or supporting any software that competes with Microsoft Platform Software or any software that runs on any software that competes with Microsoft Platform Software."
But does "no software" qualify as competing software?
Is that your Final Judgement?
The compliance committee doesn't seem to think so. "These MDP funds are reduced by $1 per unit if any desktop computer is sold by the OEM without a license to an operating system (Windows or otherwise)," the latest report notes.
"As structured, the MDP does not appear on its face to violate the explicit terms of the Final Judgment with respect to the pre-installation of operating systems."
Clearly scrutiny has had some effect. Hewlett Packard's decision to bundle Apple's iTunes player dismayed Microsoft, but the prospect of retaliation didn't deter HP from cutting the deal. However, Microsoft has had notable success in dissuading OEMs from preloading Linux. Dell and IBM used to sell certified Linux notebooks
The latest six month compliance bulletin also complains that Microsoft needs to do more to license its protocols: by reducing the complexity of the legal agreements and lowering the cost of taking out a license. The attorneys says that the MCPP licensing program has done little but uphold the status quo, and certainly doesn't increase the likelihood of a "platform challenge" to the Windows monopoly.
Fourteen licensees have taken advantage of the MCPP: six for streaming media, three for server protocols, two for terminal server protocols and one for certificate management. Microsoft says it is talking to twenty more potential licensees.
The compliance bulletin is signed by the DoJ and sixteen state AGs including New York and California. Massachusetts continues to press for a stronger settlement. Meanwhile, a verdict on an EU investigation arising from a complaint lodged by Sun Microsystems is expected in the next few weeks. ®
Related Link
January 2004 Status Report (DoJ and States' Attorneys)
Related Stories
Microsoft profiting from antitrust punishment
MS faces EU shackles on Media Player, Windows servers
Why Real sued Microsoft
Sony: MS already using Seattlement terms to screw us
How did Microsoft end up policing Microsoft?
Compaq exec planned special MS deals to fox the Feds


text:
Category Main Page Articles & Reviews
Main Nibbles
Main Page Articles & Reviews of Foods From A to Z
Product Reviews
Main Page Food, Beverages, Books, News & More
March 2010
Last Updated April 2010
CAPSULE REPORT: Whether served as a garnish on fish or meat or with tea, squeezed for its juice and zested for recipes or used in confectionary—candied lemon peel and hard candies, for example—lemon is ubiquitous in our cuisine, and many world cuisines. One can't imagine life without lemons. This is Page 1 of a five-page article about the types of lemons. Click on the black links below to visit other pages.
The origin of the lemon has not yet been determined, although science suggests it may be northwestern India, where they have been cultivated for more than 2,500 years. Arab traders brought the lemons to the Middle East and Africa sometime after 100 C.E. It is believed to have been introduced into southern Italy around 200 C.E.; and was being cultivated in Egypt and in Sumer, the southern portion of Mesopotamia a few centuries later.
At first, lemons were not widely cultivated as food: It was largely an ornamental plant (as were tomatoes), until about the 10th century. The Arabs introduced the lemon into Spain in the 11th century, and by 1150, the lemon was widely cultivated in the Mediterranean. Crusaders returning from Palestine brought it to the rest of Europe.
The lemon came into full culinary use in Europe in the 15th century; the first major cultivation in Europe began in Genoa. Lemons came to the New World in 1493, when Christopher Columbus brought lemon seeds to Hispaniola. Spanish conquest spread the lemon throughout the New World, where it was still used mainly used as an ornamental plant, and for medicine. Lemons were grown in California by 1751; and in the 1800s in Florida, they began to be used in cooking and flavoring.
The name "lemon" first appeared around 1350–1400, from the Middle English word limon. Limon is an Old French word, indicating that the lemon entered England via France. The Old French derives from the Italian limone, which dates back to the Arabic laymun or limun, from the Persian word limun.
Lemons In America
Commercial cultivation of lemons blossomed in both California and Florida in the 1800s, but due to a killer freeze in the winter of 1894-1895, commercial lemon culture in Florida ceased. Planting resumed in 1953 due to a need not for fresh lemons (of which there were plenty from California), but a market for frozen lemon concentrate, which had become popular (along with frozen orange concentrate), and for natural cold-press lemon oil.
Of the 200 or so cultivars (distinct varieties) of lemon that can be found in the U.S., some are best for lemon oil, some for juice and some are the best all-around. Some cultivars are more vigorous (disease-resistant), some are more productive (they bear more fruit), some have fewer seeds, some are better in humid climates like Florida, in arid climates like Arizona and Texas or in colder climates.
Lemons are hand-picked (they can't be machine-harvested, or picked wet). They're then sorted according to color, washed, coated with a fungicide to prevent stem-end rot, coated with a thin layer of wax for preservation and attractiveness and cured (stored) until ready for shipping.
The Lisbon lemon (above) and the Eureka lemon are the two most prevalent in the U.S. Photo courtesy Pachd.com.
During curing, which can take days (or can happen in transit, as the lemons take days to be shipped to their destination), the peel of the picked fruit, which is green, turns yellow. It also grows thinner and the pulp gets juicier.
Now, it's time to meet the lemons.
Continue To Page 2: Lemon Types A To F
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As anthropomorphic personality of Milton Hundred Wargames Club I currently find myself out of sorts. It's almost like I'm suffering from some kind of multiple personality disorder and my previous preference for all things Arsenal and a daily diet of 16 bowls of Coco Pops and a bottle of gin appears to have worn off. Luckily this incarnation has a positive attitude to all things beer, but also a preference for Fantasy games (and all those girly elves and such) but I guess worse things happen at sea, so........ mustn't grumble.
Anyway on with the update..........
As those who attend the club will know, MHWC is currently running a painting competition sponsored by Wargame Solutions who have offered up some swanky pants Army Painter paint sets.
The rules for the competition can be found here.
Submissions for the competition (which can come in via the Club Forum, MHWC Facebook group, or email) have started to trickle in and I thought we'd put up some of the model pics we've had in so far.
This is the running total of the points claimed so far:
Clint ..................................... 5 x 20mm Figs ............................................... 20pts
.............................................11 x 28mm Figs .............................................. 55pts
Andy .................................... 13 x 28mm Figs .............................................. 65pts
............................................. 8 x 28mm Figs .............................................. 40pts
............................................. 4 x 28mm Figs* ............................................. 20pts - Bestiary (+30pts)
............................................. 2 x 28mm Figs ............................................... 10pts
............................................. 1 x 28mm Figs* .............................................. 5pts - Does that hurt? (+30pts)
............................................. 4 x 28mm Figs .............................................. 20pts
I've also seen other candidates submissions in the wings but they're not fully finished and based yet so they'll soon be more names in the pot.
Right I think that's enough from me for the 1st update in 6 months, still a few cobwebs to shift but hopefully we'll be back into the swing of things soon enough.
Leofwine Wargamerson out.


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Caregivers interested in obtaining Project Lifesaver will be referred to the Erin Holley - Project Lifesaver Coordinator, at the Ontario County Sheriff's Office, 74 Ontario St., Canandaigua, NY 14424. By email or by phone at 585-396-4512. Further information and the application can be downloaded here.The Project Coordinator will give you an overview of the program, caregiver responsibilities, and cost. If the responsible party is still interested in the program, an information packet will be sent to that person to be filled out and returned. The packet will include:
- An instruction sheet for completing the packet
- Client profile
- Cost explanation
- Program contract
- Project Lifesaver agreement
- Monthly Battery Payment booklet
The forms must be completed and returned to the Ontario County Sheriff's Office (OCSO) with a check made out to The Ontario County Sheriff for the amount specified in the packet, the first months' battery payment and a refundable deposit. The packet can be returned in person or mailed to:
Ontario County Sheriff's Office
Attention: Project Lifesaver
74 Ontario St.
Canandaigua, NY 14424
Within four days of receiving the packet, the OCSO will set up an appointment with the responsible party to place the transmitter with the client. Copies of the completed documents and a receipt will be sent to the responsible party.The transmitter will be placed with the client by a deputy. This same deputy (most of the time) will return monthly to change the battery and bond with the client. The daily inspection sheet will be given to the responsible party at that time with instructions on how to fill it out.


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Heart Procedures Linked to Cognitive Declin
In a new study of German heart patients, people who had invasive bypass surgery and those who underwent less-invasive stent placement showed declines in thinking and memory skills a few months after the procedures.
Doctors have long been concerned about cognitive decline in patients who undergo coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) because of blocked arteries, and indeed, memory deficits were more significant after those procedures than after stenting.
Still, the findings don't prove it's the procedures themselves that cause memory decline -- it could just be that plaque buildup in blood vessels in both the heart and the brain is causing a variety of problems in the same patients.
These patients obviously all have atherosclerosis, said Dr. Mark Newman, who studies cognitive decline after cardiac surgery at the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina.
If you have atherosclerosis in your coronary vessels, you probably have it in other vessels in your body as well.
Patients who are treated with CABG are often in a worse health state, with more buildup, than those who undergo stenting. It could be that cognitive decline after these procedures more relates to the severity of the atherosclerosis than the procedure itself, Newman, who wasn't involved in the new research, told Reuters Health. I think that's still a debate.
Even so, it makes sense that when built-up cholesterol in heart vessels is nudged loose during surgery, it could travel to the brain and cause problems there, researchers said.
The current study involved 37 patients getting a stent placed and another 47 undergoing CABG, mostly in their 60s and early 70s. Before and three months after the surgeries, the participants completed a series of thinking and memory tests, designed to measure how well they could come up with or remember certain words, symbols and pictures.
The changes in their test scores were compared to those from another 33 healthy volunteers.
Patients in the stent group had a greater drop in score on two out of the 10 tests, compared to controls, a few months after their procedures. Bypass patients' scores declined on seven of the tests.
Dr. Tibo Gerriets from Justus Liebig University in Giessen and colleagues write in the American Heart Journal that it hasn't been clear how much the cognitive changes that occur after heart procedures really bother people in their everyday lives.
But Newman said that for some patients, these kinds of changes in thinking and memory skills might be the difference between leading an independent life and needing extra help.
Dr. Todd Rosengart, head of cardiothoracic surgery at Stony Brook University Medical Center in New York, said that the risks of cognitive decline after bypass surgery depend on how the procedure is done -- and that doctors who performed the German surgeries might not have used the best techniques to protect patients against those risks.
Nowadays (doing a procedure) very well means not just getting the patient through the procedure with no mortality, it means getting them through the procedure in great shape, he told Reuters Health.
Heart patients, he said, shouldn't be afraid to ask their surgeons about the steps they're taking to protect their brain during procedures.
With a good surgeon at a good hospital, the chance of having thinking and memory problems related to bypass surgery shouldn't be greater than one in 20, Rosengart added.
Heart procedures are getting safer and safer, Newman agreed. I don't think that people should be overly concerned (about cognitive decline). I think they should have the right treatment that's going to help them overall, and look at ways that they can enhance their overall quality of life.
SOURCE: American Heart Journal, October 2011.
© Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024. All rights reserved.


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EWG Air Monitoring Finds Toxic Pesticides Drifting From California Farm Fields
Airborne Poisons Found in More than 60 Percent of Tests
SACRAMENTO -- January 1999 -- Two years of independent scientific monitoring by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) detected an array of toxic pesticides drifting into the air Californians breathe -- the tip of a 100-million-pound iceberg of hazardous chemicals emitted statewide each year as a result of pesticide use.
From June 1996 to September 1998, EWG collected nearly 100 air samples in Sonoma, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, which were then analyzed by a certified laboratory in Oakland. Almost two-thirds of the EWG air samples contained pesticides known to cause cancer, brain damage, birth defects, acute poisoning or other illnesses.
At the same time, an EWG analysis of the latest available state data found that pesticides drifting into the air at the time of application are only a small part of the air pollution caused by pesticide use. An estimated 100 million pounds a year of smog-forming volatile organic chemicals contained in pesticides or formed by the breakdown of pesticides also evaporate into the air after application -- four times more than all the oil and gas refineries in California.
EWG and Californians for Pesticide Reform (CPR) said the monitoring results and statistical analysis provide strong evidence that the state is failing to adequately regulate pesticides in air, placing millions of Californians at risk of exposure. They called on the new Davis Administration to clean house at the state Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR), and shift authority over airborne pesticides to the Air Resources Board (ARB).
"DPR is in denial about the public health risks of the excessive use of pesticides in California," said Bill Walker, state director of Environmental Working Group and a principal author of the group's report, "What You Don't Know Could Hurt You: Pesticides in California's Air." (Available online at www.ewg.org.) "The evidence shows that pesticide use routinely exposes Californians to multiple hazardous chemicals in the air where they live, work or attend school. For the state to claim that's not a problem is unacceptable."
Levels of airborne pesticides detected by EWG monitoring were in most cases relatively small, but that does not necessarily mean they were safe. Health-based safety standards for most pesticides in air have not been established, and those that do exist are not set to protect children or other sensitive populations, but are based on supposedly safe levels of exposure for the average adult.
"For communities near heavy pesticide use, the issue is not whether DPR considers the amount of poison in the air to be safe," said David Chatfield, executive director of CPR. "The real issue is the right not to be poisoned at all."
EWG's monitors collected 55 air samples to test for multiple pesticides. Twenty-nine samples, or 53 percent, tested positive for pesticides known or suspected to cause cancer, birth defects or damage to the brain, nervous, endocrine or reproductive systems. Separately, 39 air samples were collected to test for methyl bromide, a fumigant known to cause nerve damage and birth defects and erode the ozone layer. Thirty-one samples, or 80 percent, tested positive.
In most of the counties where EWG found drifting pesticides, DPR has never conducted air monitoring. Between 1991 and 1995, DPR monitored only 50 times in 14 locations -- about one test for every 84,000 pesticide applications in the state.
But pesticide drift during applications is only part of the problem. After application, pesticides give off large quantities of reactive organic gases (ROGs, also known as volatile organic chemicals), which can cause cancer, birth defects, nerve damage and kidney and heart disease. ROGs also contribute to the formation of smog.
According to the ARB, some 98.9 million pounds of ROGs are emitted from pesticides each year -- nearly four times the total of ROG emissions from petroleum refining (25.5 million pounds annually) and more than double the ROG emissions from all other industrial sources (46 million pounds.) In the San Joaquin Valley, one of five areas in the state where air quality fails to meet federal standards, pesticides emit an estimated 34 million pounds of ROGs a year -- 13 percent of the region's total ROG emissions.


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When I got paged over the intercom to the All Nippon Airways desk I was nervous, but figured it was something about a seat assignment on the flight from Narita to Auckland that I was about to board. When the woman from ANA handed me a cell phone and said that someone from New Zealand Immigration in Auckland wanted to talk to me, I was suddenly feeling fatalistic.
"Mr. Rovics, why are you coming to New Zealand?"
The immigration agent sounded like a miserable person who liked her job way too much. It was obvious why she wanted to know – because she already knew I was coming to play a few small gigs, and it wouldn't do for me to say I was just going to enjoy the winter weather, though in fact that was one of the main things I was looking forward to.
"I'm playing six small gigs."
She already knew this, but she wanted to hear it from me. I learned from my problems entering Canada that lying is the thing they dislike the most.
"Will you be paid anything for these engagements?"
"Yes, I hope to make a little money while in New Zealand, though it's all very marginal," I replied.
Which sure is the truth. In a country as remote from the rest of the world as New Zealand, people there tend to be very excited when anybody from the outside world shows up – and for good reason. It's extremely expensive to get there from anywhere other than Australia, and the whole country has only two urban areas that might remotely qualify as "cities" where a performer like me might stand to draw a decent audience.
Nobody tours New Zealand to make money, as far as I know. The people there who make the laws issuing work permits seem to know this – a work permit for New Zealand is free. The only charge involved is the permission you need to get from the musician's union. Which, last time I got one, was also free – they waived it since they heard I was singing at a labor rally in Dunedin.
"Do you have a work permit?"
She obviously also knew the answer to this question – she's an immigration agent, for Pete's sake.
"No," I replied, "I was hoping I could get one when I arrived. I was under the impression it was a formality that could easily be taken care of when I got there."
Which is true. Although I sure was wishing I had taken care of this formality a long time before. Which is what I had done before my three previous tours of Aotearoa, aka New Zealand. The problem is, unless you live near a city with a New Zealand consulate in it, which I don't, you have to mail your passport in to their embassy in Washington, DC, and be without a passport for several weeks, which is a logistical challenge for someone who tours as much as me. One I vainly hoped I could avoid, and one I've managed to avoid in Australia, where I have successfully gotten work visas after arriving on Australian soil twice before. (Which costs $895. Which is a hell of a lot of money, when you're paying thousands just to get there, and thousands more to traverse the vast distances in that massive, barely-populated continent. Another place where it's almost impossible to make any money touring, but I keep doing it anyway, for some reason.)
"Mr. Rovics, can you tell me what happened to you recently at the airport in Trondheim, Norway?"
I just wanted to tell her to get to the point, but I knew that I had to answer all of her questions if I wanted to have any chance of getting in to her lovely, stolen country of rolling hills, sheep, and imprisoned natives.
"I was strip-searched on suspicion of drug smuggling. But I wasn't smuggling drugs, I made that part up."
Which I did make up, of course. Artistic license, as I said. Who would be stupid enough to blog about smuggling drugs? Who would be stupid enough to believe it if someone did that? Well, her, apparently, but it seemed like a moot point. Especially since I was already obviously stupid enough to be blogging about lots of things I shouldn't have been.
Why do I say I'm stupid? Because although most of my blog posts are only read by a few hundred people, some of those few hundred people are apparently working for the government of New Zealand.
"What happened to you in Canada?"
I told her what she already knew. I was banned from Canada for a year, because I tried to get in as a tourist when really I was planning to do a gig at the Railway Club in Vancouver, which I hadn't gotten a work permit for. I lied to Immigration Canada about it. I knew better than to do that this time, but it didn't help.
"How much money do you have to spend in New Zealand?"
"A thousand dollars in terms of what's available in the bank."
"One thousand US dollars? You have to have three thousand dollars in order to enter New Zealand."
"I could have three thousand dollars if I took cash advances on credit cards," I replied, hopefully.
"Well, that would only be if you were coming in on a tourist visa."
So why did she ask the question about how much money I had then? Who knows.
Then the shoe finally dropped.
"You can't board that flight tonight, and you can't come to New Zealand until you get a work permit."
"Can I cancel all my gigs and come in on a tourist visa? If I don't fly to Auckland then I can't fly from there to Perth, or from Brisbane to Hong Kong, etc."
It's a bit of a cascading, chain reaction clusterfuck sort of situation. Buying a new plane ticket to anywhere I need to go will cost thousands of dollars.
"You can't board that flight. You're not welcome in New Zealand."
"I know it's none of my business," I said, "but is it normal for immigration agents to read the blogs of people traveling to New Zealand?"
"I've read your blog," was her answer to that question.
"Did someone tell you about my blog? Is there a reason you read my blog in particular?"
"I've read your blog," she repeated. "Thank you," she said, indicating she was done talking to me, and I handed the phone back to the ANA agent.
After the ANA agent got off the phone, she and all the rest of them looked shocked. Nothing like this had ever happened to them, it seemed. This guy is stuck in the airport, he can't board this flight to Auckland.
A nice man from Hong Kong who worked for ANA took me back through Japan Immigration. No problems getting back into Japan. (Technically I suppose I had left Japan when I went through Immigration earlier in the day at the airport, and they stamped my passport and all that, but in any case, it wasn't an issue.) The man said that in the three years he had been taking care of people on this flight from Narita to Auckland, this had never happened. He wasn't entirely sure what the procedure was at this point.
He helped me collect my luggage. He shared some of his own minor travel horror stories – he recently went hiking in Siberia, where the fact that he is fluent in Chinese, Japanese and English was of absolutely no use in trying to navigate Siberian society, which led to some travel complications for him.
He took me to the hotel reservation desk. They said all the hotels were full. He said I should try calling one in particular, the Narita Airport Rest House. He left and said he had to talk to his boss about my situation. He said I should wait there for him, and he'd be back in 15 or 20 minutes. An hour and a half later, he never came back.
The hotel had a free room, thankfully. Getting to this room, I felt like I was living in a travel anxiety dream, the kind of dream I have at least once every few nights. Except it was all very real. Still feeling that way. I called a friend who is a lawyer in Christchurch. Maybe she knows another lawyer who can help. Maybe. Seems unlikely at this point.
I think I'll be able to get a work permit before I land in Australia, anyway, so the rest of the tour should be OK. If I can figure out how to get to Australia without using the ticket that goes there via Auckland, which is the one I already bought.
Not sure what my next move is, but I know it's going to be costing me many thousands of dollars, whatever it is. And if I max out all of my credit cards completely, I guess I've got the money.
If you've got any to spare for a stupid musician who didn't get a work visa to do 6 lousy gigs in a country that has 3 million people and 60 million sheep and is located in the middle of nowhere, your donations are very, very, very welcome. Donations (just click on the "donate" link there) or subscriptions both put money directly in my bank account, and are both very, very welcome at this moment. If you live in Tokyo and have a guest room, that could also be very helpful. Now I'm going to get some sleep, and see if tomorrow is any better than today was.
Epilogue: Thanks to all of you who sent me messages of encouragement, and despite my idiocy in not lining up a work visa in advance, sent me financial support as well. It helped immensely, to offset my losses. Many of you said I'd get a song out of this, so I thought I'd better write one. Here it is: "The Spies Are Reading My Blog"


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New York, NY – The National Football League has shifted the start times for its Sunday doubleheader games.
Rather than 4:15 p.m. (ET), the second wave of doubleheader Sunday games on CBS and FOX will now start at 4:25 p.m. (ET). The 4:05 p.m. (ET) kickoff for games not on the doubleheader network will remain unchanged.
The NFL said it conducted research over the past three seasons and found that 44 games required part of the audience to be switched from the end of a 1 p.m. (ET) game to a mandatory doubleheader game kickoff. With a start time of just 10 minutes later, that number would have been reduced to only 15 games.
Approximately 40 games over the 2012 schedule will be impacted by the new start times.


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Gospel writers Matthew and Mark seem to be chronicling the same event in Jesus' life when they tell the story of him cursing the fig tree. However, their accounts appear to differ when it comes to their description of when the tree withered.
Matthew 21:19 – And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, "May no fruit ever come from you again!" And the fig tree withered at once.
Mark 11:14, 20 – And he said to it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard it. … As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots.
In Matthew's account, it sounds as if the tree withers just after Jesus curses it, while Mark suggests that it wasn't until the next morning that the withering was apparent. Are these writers telling two separate stories? Is it the same story but one of them get the facts wrong? Or is there another way to understand the difference?
The ESV Study Bible offers a helpful explanation. It says that Mark treats the account chronologically, which is why he tells it in two parts (11:12-14 and 11:20-25), while Matthew is more interested in the lesson behind it.
Matthew discusses the cursing of the fig tree and the disciples' reaction together, treating the events topically just as he did the triumphal entry and the cleansing of the temple (see note on v. 12). Mark gives the probable chronological order, while Matthew gives a literary compression of the account. Thus the tree was cursed most likely on Monday morning on the way into the city, and on Tuesday morning the disciples react to the withering on their way back to Jerusalem (cf. Mark 11:12–14, 20–26).
Apparently Matthew intended for his term parachrema ("at once") to indicate a short though non-specific amount of time after the cursing, rather than an immediate occurrence.
(I have previously looked at a few other supposed contradictions in the Bible: that pesky rooster, who incited David? and are we justified by faith or by works?)